Research

My research focuses on the role of Economic Geography within Economic History and the spatial patterns of long-term spatial development.

The main focus of my current work is the importance of the postal service for economic activity in th 19th century. Particular aspects center on the relevance of information flows for trade, capital and labour flows during the First Globalization and the Interwar period. On a local level I utilize postal data on information and communication to better understand the spatial structure of the economy in particular urban systems.

Towns and cities are also a second concentration of my research. My work investigates the definition, location, size and long-term growth of towns. Geographically this work is mostly focused on Germany, in particular Saxony.

A third strand of research is the Zollverein, the first international customs union formed by German states in 1834. Building on my dissertation research I look at the role of geography on the political economy of its formation, the impact it had on regional growth patterns and spatial structures of the early industrialization.